Winter Commencement on Tap for Dec. 14 at Field House

Some 300 SUNY Plattsburgh students are eligible to walk across the dais at the college’s annual winter commencement Saturday, Dec. 14 in the field house gymnasium.

Josee Larochelle, vice president for administration and finance and chief officer in charge, will officiate during the ceremony, which will include the awarding of diplomas to undergraduates and the hooding of 17 masters degree recipients.

After graduates are seated, faculty will be escorted by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Bagpipe Band followed by a rendition of both the National Anthem and college’s alma mater, performed by the SUNY Plattsburgh Concert Choir.

After a welcome by Larochelle, commencement remarks will be made by senior broadcast journalism major Janelle Brassard of Moriah.

Brassard said that persevering through hard times is a lesson she learned at SUNY Plattsburgh. She worked at NBC 5 as a production assistant during the 2018-2019 academic year thanks to the well-placed recommendations of her instructors.

“It was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had, but it wasn’t easy,” she said. “It was my first job working in television, and multitasking in such a fast-paced environment was challenging. Honestly, I didn’t get really good at that job until my second month there, but I’m so glad I pushed through. By the time I left, I was training other production assistants.”

She credits the faculty and staff of communications with taking time out of their days to help her, reassuring her “that a bright future is ahead of me when I had moments of doubt.”

Following Brassard’s remarks, Dr. David Hill, interim provost and vice president for academic affairs, will present the candidates for degrees. In keeping with SUNY Plattsburgh tradition, each student will walk across the platform to be congratulated.

Essence Hightower, outgoing president of the Student Association, will perform her last official duty and lead graduates in the official tassel change, signifying the completion of their degrees. Dr. Ashley Gambino, president of the Plattsburgh Alumni Association, will welcome the college’s newest alumni into the association.

Commencement begins at 10 a.m. and will be livestreamed at https://www.plattsburgh.edu/plattslife/commencement/archive.html.

For more information or to see a commencement checklist, visit https://www.plattsburgh.edu/plattslife/commencement/checklist.html.